1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and more specifically to a computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for automatically replacing loaner parts within a loaner system to prevent loaner system callback.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, it is common practice for a manufacturing department within an enterprise to loan configured systems, and sometimes parts, to other various internal departments within the enterprise, such as, for example, research and development or a testing laboratory. However, legal limits exist as to the amount of time a loaner system or part may be used for research or testing and yet remain available for sale to customers as a “new” system or part. Currently, when a system is on loan, the entire system is monitored, or timed, to ensure that the legal limit is not exceeded. In order to avoid buying the loaner system, the using department must return the loaner system before the legal limit is reached. If the initial need for the loaner system will not be complete by the end of the legal time limit, which is often the case, the using department generates another loaner order and another system is built with new parts by the manufacturing department. Thus, the loaner cycle continues.
After the manufacturing department receives the returned loaner system, the manufacturing department either applies the returned loaner system to an external customer order or tears the returned loaner system apart to harvest the parts for other new customer orders. All such harvested parts are restricted from being used on other loaner systems because these harvested parts are assumed to have reached their legal usage limit as “new” parts. Consequently, loaner systems are tracked as complete entities and returned according to the shortest legal time limitation on any one of its internal parts.